Macintosh TV

Introduced: October 1993Terminated: February 1994

Description

The Macintosh TV was Apple’s first attempt at combining a computer with television. The all-in-one Macintosh featured a black case with a style similar to the LC 520 and a 14” Sony Trinitron CRT. It also had a cable-ready TV tuner card that allowed the computer to act as a television.

It was shipped with a small remote control that could be used with other Sony televisions.

History

Apple’s first attempt to integrate a computer and a television was not successful. The television and computer functions could not be performed at the same time for the most part. Still frames could be captured in PICT files, but the television feed could not be shown as a desktop window.

Though the TV tuner card would become a popular option for other LCs and Performas, the Macintosh TV suffered from poor graphics quality that limited its appeal.